Join in a double serving of fossil fun at Nothe Fort‘s Dinosaur-themed weekend 28-29 June, with Fossil Fest weekend and performances of Emerald Ant’s Iguanodon Restaurant on Sunday 29th June!
Arts company Emerald Ant and Nothe Fort, Weymouth, are pleased to present the Iguanodon Restaurant, a wonderfully quirky piece of FREE (with price of admission/annual pass) street theatre coming to Nothe Fort on Sunday 29thJune. A furious romp through 50 years of ground-breaking scientific discoveries that changed how we see the world, ‘Iggy’ the Iguanodon provides family fun for Dino lovers of all ages.
Show timings: 12:30pm, and 2:30pm on Sunday 29th June only.
Let’s set the scene… It’s New Year’s Eve, 1853, and in Crystal Palace Park a group of eminent professors and geologists are holding a sumptuous banquet in an unusual venue – inside the concrete cast of an Iguanodon.
Fossil-fuelled fun ensues as the dinner guests in the Iguanodon Restaurant, famous dinosaur hunters William Buckland, Gideon Mantell, Mary Anning, and Richard Owen wrangle over their amazing fossil finds.
Is it a bird? A giant fish? An ancient crocodile? They debate questions around extinction and evolution – how come dinosaurs no longer exist? What does the stone beneath our feet tell us about the world? And what’s really in that blancmange? Find out in this highly visual, funny and peculiar performance, which will have British Sign Language interpretation and an accessible viewing area.
Perfect for families, the Iggy performances will be accompanied on the Dino Day by a drop-in workshop – children (age 4 to 104!) can learn more about fossils, dinosaurs, and of course about their local museum. Roll your sleeves up and get creative, maybe create a badge to take home.
This Dino Day is one of 11 across Dorset and Somerset this summer, part of Emerald Ant’s ‘Iggy for All’ project, supported by the Arts Council, Dorset Council, the Valentine Trust and other foundations.
Full details can be found on the Emerald Ant website: https://emeraldant.com/iguanodon-restaurant/
To support the event, Nothe Fort will be holding Fossil Fest over the weekend in June 28-29, 10:30am – 4:00pm, featuring fun fossil-related activities for all the family, including:
- Ammonite painting
- Dino Highway
- Fossil Hunter Challenge
- Real Fossil Handling
- Dino themed games, and more!
Fossil Fest is supported by Activate Performing Arts and the CREATE! 2025 course.
Events Coordinator for Nothe Fort, Connie Jenkins-Teague said:
“We’re looking forward to welcoming The Iguanodon Restaurant to the Fort on Sunday, it’s going to be fantastic to see it in our Parade Ground.
It’s been wonderful working with Emerald Ant, Activate Performing Arts, Westfield Arts College, and the CREATE!2025 course, learning how to make museum events more accessible. Nothe Fort is for everyone to enjoy, and we aim to break down barriers that may prevent SEND families from visiting museums. We are pleased to say we are transforming one of our exhibition spaces into a quiet room for the event weekend on a trial basis, and we also have ear-defenders on hand for visitors to borrow.”
This event is covered by your Annual Pass/General Admission ticket price.
Nothe Fort is dog-friendly, so bring the whole family!
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